Anti-social behaviour covers many types of actions from low-level persistent nuisance to serious public disturbance, it:
Anti-social behaviour is defined in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 as "acting in a manner that caused or is likely to cause alarm, distress or harassment to one or more persons not of the same household".
Examples of anti-social behaviour could include:
This is by no means an exhaustive list; the key issue is the impact that these actions have on victims, witnesses and the community we live in.
Minimum Standards of Response (242KB)
Q. What if young people are hanging out on the street but not really doing anything?
A. Ask yourself, are they really doing anything wrong? If the answer is no, leave them be! Children should be allowed to play, within reason.
Q. What if kids are playing football in the street or riding around on their bikes and I find it annoying?
A. It is not against the law to play in the street. Often issues can be resolved by talking to your neighbours.
Q. My neighbour has a BBQ in the garden to celebrate his birthday every year. I find the noise and the smoke from the BBQ very annoying. Is it classed as anti-social behaviour?
A. It would only be an example of anti-social behaviour, if the behaviour was persistent rather than a ‘one-off’ every year.
The important factors in determining ‘what is’ and ‘what is not’ anti-social behaviour are the level of seriousness and frequency of the behaviour. There is a balance between tolerating behaviour that we may personally not agree with and ensuring that we tackle behaviour that is anti-social.
Further information on anti-social behaviour can be found on the Safer Derbyshire website. (External website**)
An Acceptable Behaviour Contract (ABC), also known as an acceptable behaviour agreement, is an intervention designed to engage the individual in recognising their behaviour and its negative effects on others, in order to stop the offending behaviour.
An ABC is a written agreement between an anti-social behaviour perpetrator and their local authority, Youth Inclusion Support Panel, landlord or the police.
ABCs are usually used for young people but can also be used for adults.
The ABC consists of a list of anti-social acts that the offender agrees not to continue and outlines the consequences if the contract is breached. Contracts usually last for six months but can be renewed if both parties agree.
ABCs are not legally binding, but can be cited in court as evidence in ASBO applications or in eviction or possession proceedings.
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) are court orders which forbid specific threatening or intimidating actions.
An ASBO can ban a person from:
ASBOs are in effect for a minimum of two years, and can be longer. They are designed to protect specific victims, neighbours, or even whole communities from behaviour that has frightened or intimidated them, or damaged their quality of life.
These are civil orders - not criminal penalties – so they won’t appear on a suspect's criminal record. However, if that person breaches an ASBO, they have committed a criminal offence, which is punishable by a fine or up to five years in prison.
| Buxton | Chapel/New Mills | Glossop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptable Behaviour Contracts | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (In force) | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| There has been an 84% non-reoffending rate for acceptable behaviour contracts this quarter (Oct-Dec 2009 – 2 breaches). (Borough Target 86%) | |||
High Peak Borough Council has received 32 anti-social behaviour calls for service in the period Oct to Dec 2009 (excluding noise nuisance). The majority of calls were regarding neighbour nuisance.
Report Anti-Social Behaviour to the Council using the following form:
Alternatively you can contact Customer Services on 0845 129 77 77 or 01298 28400.
Hate incidents can have a very bad effect on people’s lives and society in general. They can cause great personal harm and damage to community relations. The Council is committed to ensuring good relations between all people within the borough. To make certain that the Council plays an active and prominent role in monitoring and reducing hate incidents, we have developed a reporting system that will help us deliver a consistent professional approach to reduce and eliminate this often hidden problem.
A hate incident is any incident committed against a person or property that the victim or any other person believes is motivated by the offender’s hate against people because of their race, sexuality, disability, religion, age or gender. Examples include verbal abuse, vandalism or damage to property or physical violence.
Some hate incidents will be criminal offences. If you contact us with details of an incident we will refer the information to the appropriate authority, including the Police who can take the necessary action. Please contact our customer services team using call high peak on 0845 129 7777 or 01298 28400.
You may also call the national Stop Hate UK 24-hour helpline FREE on 0800 138 1625 to report a hate incident or seek support for individuals and communities affected by hate crime. Visit the website, www.stophateuk.org (external website**) for more details.
If you report a hate incident we will follow the process shown in the chart below. If you are a tenant of High Peak Community Housing we will involve the reporting officer for High Peak Community Housing with your consent.
**Please note: High Peak Borough Council is not responsible for the content of any external websites.